


the way it is

by lovebalance



Series: cyber-connection. [4]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, F/F, Other characters mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 18:39:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17289323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovebalance/pseuds/lovebalance
Summary: you don’t find minatozaki sana. minatozaki sana finds you.





	the way it is

**Author's Note:**

> happy new year. sanayeon nation let's get the bag this year.

Her hair is tied up into a mess of a bun, the cigarette in her mouth slowly dying, and if that COM doesn’t stop dinging Nayeon might murder somebody soon. She scrunches her eyebrows together and flips through the piles of paper in her hands, one leg pulled up to her chest to give her arm some resting room.

“Coffee, Miss Im?” A robotic voice speaks, and she turns her head slowly to gaze at the small drone, hovering persistently by her side. This has been the fifth time the thing had asked her if she needed anything, and Nayeon wishes her boss didn’t assign her one of them, _for her own good,_ her boss had said.

“No thanks,” Nayeon says, turning her gaze back onto the papers she let falls to her desk. “Whose COM is that?”

“I believe that is Miss Mina’s, Miss Im.” The little thing hovers, the blue bars that give is vision blinking before forming something that looks like smiling eyes. Nayeon takes the cigarette out of her mouth and blows smoke in its direction. It doesn’t move, doesn’t blink.

“Direct it to me.”

It’s fast, and then there’s a low orange light blinking from her COM in her left eye. She blinks twice before she sees the grinning face of Jeongyeon looking at her, clearly entertained. “Was Mina not there?” Jeongyeon doesn’t even offer a hello. Nayeon raises an eyebrow and pulls Jeongyeon from her retina, so that’s projecting on her desk. She taps her cigarette on her ashtray before placing in her mouth once again, giving a small smile. “Actually this is perfect.”

“What’s wrong?” Nayeon tilts her head.

Jeongyeon hums. “I wanted to talk to you about the case you’re focused on.”

Ah, so that’s it.

_____

_People are no longer human. No longer genuine. That’s what she believes. Ever since the LIXA CORP. introduced the concept of A.I mixed with human skin and emotions, the world has taken advantage of it. She’s not sure how so many companies got their hands on the research, but it spread so quickly that she could no longer keep up._

_Of course, with things like this, there were violent repercussions as well. Fighting, crimes, and the rich building their homes so high that the sky can no longer be seen. The false people had begun to fight back from being used, being forced to reset over and over._

_Someone had told a young Nayeon that the sky was once blue. She never believed it._

_____

It’s freezing outside, and the neon lights and signs irritate Nayeon’s vision. No smoking today, just herself wrapped in a light trench coat. The LIXA bot hovers near her, the buzz masked by the noise of the streets. She looks around, for anyone watching her, before she turns and enters a small bar that’s almost hidden.

The lights are pink in here, covered in a soft mist, Nayeon walking up to the bar.

“What can I get you?”

She raises an eyebrow before she smiles. Always good to give a nice impression. “Information.” The bartender's smile remains the same, and Nayeon realizes he might not be human. A low light appears in her retina and she sends him 60 credits. He blinks, before leaning forward.

“What'd ya need?”

“Minatozaki Sana, have you seen her?”

“Usually people ask if I know her.”

“Oh, I know you know her,” Nayeon says, leaning back. She digs in her pocket, putting a cigarette in her mouth before she raises an eyebrow. He keeps her gaze for a bit before he lifts his finger. It moves, and there’s a tiny flame, and she grins.

“I hate humans like you.” He grumbles. Nayeon narrows her eyes.

“Have you seen her or not?” Nayeon wonders aloud, holding her cigarette in one hand, tilting her head. “I can shut this whole place down, you know. One call.”

It works. The man leans back and crosses his arms, Nayeon takes another drag. He tilts his head back before looking back into Nayeon’s eyes.

“You don’t find Minatozaki Sana. Minatozaki Sana finds you.”

___

Minatozaki Sana has been a case that Nayeon has been invested in for a long time. Mina likes to call her obsessed, and maybe Nayeon is. After all, no one knows of the nights where Nayeon stays up until the next morning, trying to connect every murder to the one picture of Minatozaki Sana she has in her room. No one knows of when Nayeon runs her fingers down the picture, the only one of its kind, of the supposed killer. Sana was pretty, pretty enough for something not human.

Nayeon has memorized her eyes, the way they were captured in the photo. The way the red neon had reflected off her dark pupils, her smile large and hungry. Nayeon didn’t know how much she paid for this picture, probably way less than it was worth. Sana was looking directly into the lens like she was staring at Nayeon directly.

It’s five in the morning again, and Nayeon had stayed up, staring at this picture, sometimes her hands between her legs, sometimes not. Nayeon shoves the picture into the book where she keeps all her evidence, before standing to use her bathroom.

Im Nayeon is sure she has an obsession. No one has to know.

___

She gets lucky. She gets really lucky. One moment, Nayeon is leaving the nightclub, not enjoying herself as much as she would like, her mind somewhere else. It was partly due to the distaste she had felt when she saw a group of robots huddled around the bathroom, and she kissed the top of Mina’s head, before leaving.

Somehow, between the haze of the club and the street, arms wrapped around her, someone cold pushing into her. “Where are you going?” The voice is directly into her ear, the hands running up and down the skin of her stomach. Nayeon turns her head slowly, ears pounding, and she meets the eyes of Minatozaki Sana, in all her glory.

“Heard you were looking for me,” Sana says, pushing Nayeon back until they’re outside the club, her arms moving from her waist to her neck, pressing their noses together. “I’m here. Why are you looking for me?” Nayeon opens and closes her mouth, and Sana hums, her black hair falling like a curtain on the right side of her face, Nayeon can see the gleaming red of Sana’s CHIP in her eyes.

“Wait, I already know. Im Nayeon, robot hunter.” Sana licks her lips, before she lets go and leans back, but not moving her body, and Nayeon hates the way her body enjoys being pressed into the brick.

“Actually, convict hunter,” Nayeon whispers, narrowing her eyes. Sana tilts her head, running her fingers through her black hair.

“That's even better. Are you saying you’re hunting me?” Sana is dangerous, Nayeon realizes. There's a cold glint in her eyes, mixed with something Nayeon deems as excitement.

“I love a good chase,” Nayeon responds, words strange against her tongue. Sana’s eyes widen at that, suddenly wild and darker, her smile growing hungry. Maybe it’s the alcohol in Nayeon’s mind, but she looks like she has fangs. Sana grabs Nayeon’s face with her large hands, her fingers slim and long, and leans in, then it’s just them.

“In that case, I have the perfect race for you.”

___

She gets the COM a week after she meets Sana in person. Mina stares at her from the corner of her pupil, hair pushed back, messy, eyes tired, but she’s looking at Nayeon strangely. Like she’s having a hard time looking at her. “What happened?” Nayeon asks, picking up the coffee cup and drinking slowly. It’s six in the morning, and Nayeon hasn’t gotten dressed yet, hair messier than Mina’s.

“A body. 765th Street. Come now.” Mina hangs up. Nayeon blinks, surprised at the abrupt ending to her call, before stands, grabbing a random sweater. Her little drone zooms into the room, and Nayeon taps her ear. It shrinks, becoming a small earpiece, before it nuzzles into her ear, warm.

Nayeon takes a dash train to 765th street, and Mina is waiting for her, arms crossed. Before Nayeon can say anything, she’s being pulled by her arm, to the body of a tiny woman. Wires spill out from her stomach, the stench of oil and blood filling the air. There’s a cleanup crew here, faces covered with masks, and Nayeon can’t look away. For a few seconds, the question “is this even murder” crosses her mind, and she shakes her head at that. That’s too cruel, even for her.

“What are we going to do?” Nayeon looks at the younger woman, and Mina breathes heavily.

“Did you see what’s written on the wall?”

Nayeon shakes her head before she turns and inhales sharply. Her pupil goes red, and she’s taking a picture before she knows it. The words, written in a mix of oil and paint, say ‘ _Time for a hunt_!’ And there’s Nayeon’s face, drawn perfectly.

“What the fuck?” Nayeon hisses, trying to stabilize herself. Mina grabs her arm, and it hurts.

“Nayeon, what did you do? What did you find?” It’s whispered harshly at her.

‘ _I found Sana herself, and she’s every bit as perfect as I imagined.’_  It’s what she thinks. Instead, she turns and responds.

“I didn’t fucking find anything.” She almost yells it, yanking her arm and turning away. She stares at herself, the way she looks on the wall, as the cleanup crew sprays it with water. She can’t stop the hammering of her heart as it slowly drips down to the concrete and into the night.

___

It’s a whirlwind when she gets home. She had convinced Mina that she didn’t need someone to escort her home after a few hours, and had expected to walk into a dark apartment, but freezes when she sees the light on. She locks the front door, and hurries to her bedroom, and almost screams. Minatozaki Sana leans back on the wall, holding a bottle of wine and two glasses, staring at the wall where Nayeon had been putting clues together. The picture of Sana sits in the middle of the desk.

“Hello there, pretty. You’re back already?” Sana pushes up past the wall, before she sits on Nayeon’s desk, opening the wine, filling the two glasses. “Did you like my gift?”

Nayeon steps inside, despite her hammering heart, and shuts the door. Sana finds that amusing. “I didn’t.”

Sana almost pouts. “I worked hard on that,” She explains, taking a slow sip of the wine. Some of it drips down her throat, trails down her neck, but it’s like she doesn’t notice. The wine looks thicker than most wine Nayeon has had, but looking to long is making Nayeon’s head hurt. “You really didn’t like it?”

“It put a lot of pressure on me,” Nayeon says, taking the glass that’s being offered to her. “The police were staring at me for a bit.” Sana giggles, curling into herself. It rings across the room, and Nayeon swallows. She should kick Sana out, but she doesn’t. Instead, she drinks.

“Was I supposed to see something?” Nayeon instead asks, leaning forward.

“Not yet,” Sana leans into Nayeon’s space, inhaling before showing her fangs. “I’m just watching you.”

Then Sana smashes her elbow into the side of Nayeon’s head, and Nayeon only hears Sana laugh before she falls, losing consciousness.

___

When she wakes again, she’s in her bed, and her room clean. The pictures on her wall are gone, instead replaced by a single rose pinned to the wall. Nayeon groans.

___

Jeongyeon calls her at four in the morning, as it rains heavily outside. Another body. Another drawing of Nayeon’s eyes, one with her eyes closed like she was sleeping. It was another robot again.

Nayeon goes and comes back, soaked from head to toe to Sana sitting on her kitchen table, combat boots staining the counter. “Did you like my art?” Sana’s eyes trail up Nayeon’s shivering body slowly, eyes dark before she grins. “Was it nicer this time?”

Nayeon shivers, wrapping her arms around herself and doesn’t say anything. Sana’s grin vanished from her face, and she swings her legs off the counter, standing up. “You’re cold,” Sana whispers, reaching out. “Oh, look at you, you’re freezing.” Nayeon doesn’t mind how fast she relaxes into the touch, sighing deeply.

“Why are you killing robots now?” Nayeon questions after a moment of silence. Sana hums, pulling Nayeon close to her body, arms tight around her neck.

“Why not? Don’t you hate us?” Sana tilts her head back, almost like she’s pointing towards Nayeon’s room. “I did look through your stuff, you know? I know everything.”

Not everything. Nayeon can tell, even as she shivers. “I’m just doing your job for you, robot hunter.” She continues, and Nayeon can feel the smile on her voice. She gathers enough strength to stand up straighter, pushing Sana away.

“Well, don’t. Get out of my place,” Nayeon says. “The next time I see you, I will arrest you.”

Sana smiles at that.

___

The next time Nayeon does see her, it’s after they find another dead body. There is a crowd around them, looking on as the small child-like robot bleeds out black oil, and Sana is in the crowd. Nayeon clenches her jaw, trying to not stare hard as Mina gets down on one knee, shutting the eyes of the robot.

“He’s just a baby…” Mina whispers as the rest of the force clears out the people. Nayeon looks up again, and Sana is gone, and she tries to not feel a pang of guilt as Mina doesn’t stand up for a bit. She’s praying, Nayeon hears her.

Instead, she feels a sense of twisted excitement.

___

The next time they see each other, it’s their last. Nayeon walks in after dropping off a drunk Jeongyeon at her own place. She turns on the light, and the bulb is purple, then she has no time to think as Sana appears in front of her, eyes wild. Nayeon opens her mouth, to say something before she realizes there is a knife deep in her stomach.

She gapes, like a fish out of water, as black ooze seeps out of her stomach, dripping on the floor. Sana is laughing. “See,” she says, her voice light and far away. “You’re just like us! Just like us!”

Nayeon can’t speak, just watches the way it drips down her stomach, before she falls back, Sana leading her body down. The last thing she sees is Sana’s smile before her vision fades.

**_*ErR r Or*_ **

“No,” Sana whispers, “No, no, no, no, no…” The knife falls from her hand, onto the floor. Nayeon stares up at her, her eyes glassy, no signal coming through. This was not how it was supposed to go. Not again, not again, not again. Sana looks up, watches how the walls twitch, before the room changes. The walls are white, the floor is white, but stained with the black oil dripping from Nayeon’s body.

Momo walks up to her, hands in her pockets, her lips pursed. “Don’t worry Sana. It’s just a glitch,” she says, like she always does, “we can reset it like we always do. Leave her body there, she won’t even know.”

“Reset?”

“Yes,” Momo says slowly like she’s talking to a child. “This is apart of the test, remember. To create eternal life. The next simulation won’t be like this.”

That’s what they always said, and always it ends like this. Nayeon or one of many Nayeon’s on the floor, eyes staring at nothing. Sana knows it won’ be any different this time, but she nods. The little robots roll in, about eleven of them, and they pick up the body and roll out again. Sana is left alone.

**reset, reset.**

Someone is staring at her. Nayeon stands up, the bright light of the sun hurting her eyes a bit, and she looks around. There’s a woman, at the other end of the store, holding red roses and looking at her. Nayeon smiles and fixes her apron.

It feels like she knows her.

**Author's Note:**

> i watched black mirror, then i watched altered carbon, then i had a strange dream, so here. any questions you have i can answer, i've crafted this world carefully. for those of you who care, this universe is the same one as my yves/jinsoul fic, so check it out. also, comment, cause i worked hard and need to be validated by others to prove something.


End file.
